Golf industry veteran Leon Preston Gilmore II died on December 1. His family said he suffered a massive stroke. He was 52.
During his career, Gilmore has served in various capacities for First Tee, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and PGA Tour Champions.
He began his golfing career in Atlanta as the director of East Lake Junior Academy’s program for underserved youth in the community. After spending a year and a half there, Gilmore accepted a position at First Tee, rising to Director of Development, where he was responsible for facility development and strategy in nine states and was instrumental in the successful launch of 35 facilities.
He relocated to California in July 2003 to assume the roles of Executive Director of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Assistant Tournament Director of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and PGA Tour Champions Pure Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee. In June 2006, he became Executive Director of the Charles Schwab Cup on the PGA Tour Champions, where he made history as only the second Executive Tournament Director on the Black PGA Tour and first with the Senior Circuit.
“Leon dealt with the pressure while also doing his best to create pathways for others to get behind him,” said Dedric Holmes, who worked with Gilmore at First Tee. “Leon’s ability to connect with people through listening and his business acumen made him a real force. He was confident and determined while being understanding and flexible.”
Gilmore attended the historically Black college at Hampton University, where he was a standout student and collegiate golfer, but realized his talents could be better utilized off the ropes.
“Phil Mickelson was out of my time,” Gilmore once told the East Bay Times. “I would see him in a junior tournament when he was 68 or 69. I would shoot 72 and be happy. He would go to the shoo
ting range to find out what was going on.”
Gilmore also earned a Masters of Sports Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and completed internships at Titleist and the PGA Tour. Over the past several years, Gilmore has used his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit to launch several successful ventures. One of his most recent contributions was partnering with the Capital Partners Foundation where they envisioned being the first African American to own and operate a PGA Tour event.
The Gilmore Family have entrusted arrangements to Roseboro’s Mortuary & Crematory.
